Fugitive sister after capture: 'I deserved to get shot'

PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) — A woman caught with her two brothers after a nationwide manhunt told Colorado authorities she “deserved to get shot,” according to an arrest affidavit.

Photo by The Associated Press

Lee Grace Dougherty, 29, laughs Thursday while awaiting advisement at the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office detention center in Pueblo, Colo. Dougherty and two of her siblings are accused of shooting at police in Florida and robbing a bank in Georgia.

Lee Grace Dougherty, 29, Dylan Dougherty Stanley, 26, and Ryan Edward Dougherty, 21, are being held in Pueblo County, Colo., on bonds of $1.25 million each. The three made their first court appearance Thursday in Pueblo, Colo., appearing by video from jail. None made any statement during the brief hearing.

They face charges of attempted murder of a peace officer and assault on a peace officer. The charges stem from allegations they shot AK-47 rounds at four patrol cars in Colorado during a chase on Interstate 25 near the town of Walsenburg, Colo., on Wednesday. The chase ended when their Subaru rolled and crashed into a guardrail after a tire was punctured by stop strips troopers had deployed across the highway.

Lee Dougherty ran from the crash and was shot in the leg by Walsenburg Police Chief James Chamblerlain after she pointed a machine gun at him, according to the affidavit. The document says she later told police, “I deserved to get shot.”

Investigators said when they asked her about gunfire during the chase, Lee Dougherty said she thought authorities were firing at them. Authorities said they didn’t fire at the fugitives’ car and believe she might have mistaken the sound of the spiked stop sticks for gunshots.

“We weren’t trying to hurt anyone; we just wanted them to get back. They were way back and we could barely see them,” she said, according to the affidavit. Separate affidavits from the three don’t include statements from the brothers.

The trio’s mother, Barbara Bell of East Palatka, Fla., spoke briefly Thursday to The Associated Press but declined to discuss their ordeal, saying she didn’t think it would help them in the long run.

“Thank God they’re not tried by the media,” she said. “They’re tried in a court of law and their story will come out at that time.”

Bell hung up the phone shortly after a reporter called, saying she needed to keep the line open for concerned family members to reach her.

“I’m devastated and I’m trying to be strong for other family members,” Bell said. “Throughout all of this, I think everybody just wanted it to stop. And now it’s over.”

The siblings also have no-bond warrants in Georgia and Florida on charges they robbed a bank in Georgia and shot at a police officer in Florida on Aug. 2.

“These three have a big legal mess in front of them and at some point, they’ll face charges in all those jurisdictions,” FBI Special Agent Phil Niedringhaus said.